[pataburd]

Had a go with the RCA 6AS7G (w/black plates) and Philips 6SJ7WGT last night.

Compared to the GE 6080s, the RCAs bring a distinct ease, smoothness/liquidity and "blendedness" to the sound; they're more about brushing broader tonal arcs, harmonic interplay and sonority. Also, the RCAs set the soundstage back a bit, too.

That said, the RCAs offer less high frequency detail and looser bass response than the GEs; and in general a less forward/assertive sound. The RCAs noticeably lack the speed, precision and attack of the GEs. I also noticed an overall shrinking of the soundstage along all three dimensions with the RCAs; they don't explore and dominate space quite like the GEs.

That said, the RCAs offer well developed tones and musical colors. Saxophones and trumpets sound warmer, richer and more timbrally complete; hand slaps on bongos come through with more "palm"; cow bell and woodblock strikes are conveyed with greater realism and more sustanance. Again, it's more about tonal/harmonic structure with the RCAs, less about absolute precision and resolution of detail, i.e. the luxuries of the listening experience more so than its exactitudes.

All-in-all, a pleasurable listen and another excellent "tubular" vantage point from which to develop further appreciation for the versatility of the Darkvoice 337. At this point, and to my ears, anyway, the Philips 6SJ7WGT/GE6080 still carry the sonic advantage over the Philips/RCA 6AS7G.

Tonight, I'll either try the JAN Sylvania VT-116As w/the RCA 6AS7Gs or I'll swap the RCAs for the Svetlanas. (Why, oh why, did I sell those Mullard 6080s?)

 

[pataburd]

Last night, I swapped out the RCA 6AS7G power tubes for the Svetlana 6H13Cs, while keeping the JAN Philips 6SJ7WGT drivers in.

The Svetlanas provide a remarkably well-balanced, detailed and optimal, musical middle ground between the forward and expansive GE 6080s and the more laid back and confined RCAs. Actually, the Svetlanas rendered more low-level detail and better top/bottom extension than the GEs, but with an ease more akin to the RCAs. The 6H13Cs brought a fuller, deeper bass response with stronger impact than the GEs. The Svetlanas captured for the most part, tonally, what the RCAs excel at, but added a level of detail that evoked perhaps even more musicality from the tracks. For example, the Svetlanas brought out details of the key/finger action on the saxophone, in addition to the well-developed tones; spit and breath at the reed end in addition to the warm expansion at the bell end. The 6H13Cs maintained the sense of depth and transparency that I had come to enjoy in the GE 6080 together with the liquidity and “aromatics” of the RCAs, with supreme balance and pace.

The Svetlanas’ main strengths lie in their ability to resolve micro-detail and micro-dynamics, IMHO. Subtle tonal shades and dynamic contrasts as the drummer’s palms struck different areas across the drum head under different degrees of tension were resolved/catalogued with an amazing and engaging adeptness; tiny lilts in the piccolo came to the fore; I was hearing low-level, background accompaniment that I either hadn’t heard before with such clear relief or perhaps hadn’t heard before at all. These tubes expertly walk the balance beam between adequate force/impact and delicate refinement as well as, or better than, any of the other power tubes I’ve tried in the Darkvoice 337 to date.

Of course, some of the perceived effects from having reinserted the Svetlanas could be fallout from the D5000’s reaching their “full break-in” potential, but given my uniformly positive experience with this tube in the 336i and my initially favorable experience when first auditioning them in the 337 some months ago, I had no reason to doubt that the 6H13Cs would continue to please. And an absolute pleasure they have once more proven to be! : )

Frankly, I don’t at all understand why the Svetlanas have been either dismissed or so heavily underrated on these threads. To me, they are the most balanced and musically engaging tubes I’ve heard so far in the DV337. Providing a welcome sense of restraint and refinement vs. the Tung-Sol 5998 (which strikes me as sounding unduly forced, like an out-of-breath runner delivering an alarming message); a less forward, but just as transparent and as spatially bountiful a soundstage as the GE 6080 (sans the surly treble under less-than-ideal conditions with the GEs); as tonally and musically comparable a delivery as the RCA 6AS7G, but with firm, detailed command of more extended treble and bass.

Obviously, my attitude toward the Darkvoice 337 is gradually becoming cheerier than what it has been in the past! With the Svetlanas and JAN Philips, the D5000--I like these headphones a lot!--are scaling ever more sublime heights of musical enjoyment.

The only thing left to do is the a/b between the Svetlanas and the Mullards! : )

 

[pataburd]

Swapped the JAN Philips for the Sylvania VT-116A. Smoother and more expansive, but with less detail resolution.

 

[Skylab]

That's good to know. I have quite a few NOS JAN Sylvanias, but haven't actually used any so far.

 

[Golden Monkey]

Pata, you should remove the "(proposed)" from the thread title...I think seven pages so far, with lots of detailed info, qualifies for the "official" status...lol.

Nice info in here, by the way...

 

[djork]

Ok, think i'll try some svetlanas

 

[Bigjppop]

Well I received some Mullard 6080's and some JAN Phillips 6SJ7WGT's from Pataburd about 10 days ago (by the way, EXCELLENT packing job on those tubes) and I've been putting them through their paces.

First up, the Mullards. I've tried these tubes with my Tung Sol mesh plates, my RCA "Red Hots" and the Phillips I got from Pataburd and my overall impression with all of them is that the Mullard 6080 is a very accurate, very quiet, but slightly lean sounding tube. When compared with the Tung Sol 5998's, the Mullards seem to be not quite as rich as the 5998's.

I've just finished a listening session with the Mullards up front and the RCA Red Hots in the back and I think this is overall the most accurate and revealing tube combination that I've tried in the 337. The background is absolutely quiet/black and everything sounds very crisp, clear, and accurate. If that's your description of sonic Nirvana, this might just be the tube combo for you.

To my ears, I prefer the slightly richer, warmer sound of the Tung Sol's in front and back (5998's with the mesh plates 6SJ7GT). Overall I compare these tubes combos to the difference between the AKG 701 and the Senn 650. The AKG's are clean, crisp, accurate, and probably a truer reference to the original; this is the Mullard/RCA combo. The Senns are darker, meatier, richer, with more harmonics and that is the all Tung Sol combo.

Finally, the JAN Phillips 6SJ7WGT are a great little set of tubes that can be had for cheap, NOS, from the nice people at Angela electronics on ebay. These tubes are closer to the Tung Sol mesh plates, much easier to find, and cheaper and if you can't get the mesh plates (or don't want to pay the premium they go for these days) this tube is a great option. They are not as clean/clear/accurate as the RCA Red Hots (they have a very slight, but definitely present hum when no music is playing) but produce a great sound overall. Great substitution, or back up to the mesh plates.

Overall, I'm more and more pleased with the 337 everyday and hope I still have MANY more hours of listening pleasure to go.

 

[Skylab]

Nice post, Bigjppop. I agree totally about the Mullard 6080. They are great for a 6080, but I find all 6080 tubes to be on the bright/lean side. The 5998 has a meatier sound, but the 5998 is clearer and more detailed than the RCA 6AS7G.

 

[pataburd]

Caveat: I'm running the DV337 with the low impedance D2000/5000. Once the DT880/2003 arrive, that could put a whole new slant on tube usage/impressions. : ) . . . and I could be in the market for the mesh plates and the 5998s (again)!

It speaks, too, of our different modes of listening and sonic preferences. That said, I still prefer the Mullard 6080 and the Svetlana 6H13C to the Tung-Sol 5998, at least from this local (DT880-less) vantage point. Semantically, I'd call the sound of the Mullards "in-shape" or "fit"; and the 5998s "overweight." There's just a forced quality to the 5998s that strikes me as unrealistic.

 

[Skylab]

I eagerly await your comments on the 5998 with the 250 ohm Beyers. I don;t think the 337 is very happy with low impedance cans.

 

[pataburd]

Already sold the 5998s, in anticipation of selling the DV337! : )

Oh, well . . . live and learn!

 

[frank99]

Is 5998A equal to 5998? do they sound equal?

The reason I am asking this is that 5998 is >$50/pcs and there are only a few available.

 

[Skylab]

No. They are not equal. The 5998A has a totally different plate structure than the 5998. The 5998A is really just a 6AS7GA - it was made by GE only. The actual 5998 was made only by Tung-Sol.

I tried the 5998A and did not think they sounded all that great.

 

[pataburd]

As I'm a/b-ing the DT880/2003 and the Denon D5000 on the Darkvoice, I'm noticing that a tube combination like the JAN Philips 6SJ7WGT/Svetlana 6H13C can sound cooler/brighter with the DT800 but warmer with the D5000. Can anyone posit an explanation for this? Is it related to the high vs. low impedance loads of the two headphones?

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Maybe a set of the rumored upcoming Senn HD700 would be a great match with the 337

I'm hard on my wallet and everyone else's it would seem

Peete.